PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. ? The Georgia State baseball team found its offensive groove Wednesday night at The Field at Panthersville and belted 14 hits against No. 11 Georgia Tech, but it was not enough as the Panthers fell 10-6. Marc Mimeault went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs while Chase Childers also collected two hits and scored twice.
Georgia Tech (13-1) got on the board in the first off State starter Will Palmer. A leadoff walk to House came back to haunt Palmer, as the Yellow Jackets used a sacrifice bunt to move runners over to second and third. An infield single from Derek Dietrich pushed across the first run. In the second, Tech added another run on Jay Dantzler's sacrifice fly to right.
After stringing together some hits in the first, the Panthers (9-5) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Marc Mimeault drove in Bradley Logan to score the first run of the frame for State. Mimeault scored the tying run a little later on a wild pitch from Tech starter Deck McGuire. Chase Childers put State ahead with a fielder's choice RBI that scored Dusty Bennett.
With Palmer throwing well, the Panthers gave the lefty some insurance in the fourth. State had runners at second and third with two outs when Tech reliever Brandon Crumpton got called for a balk that put the home team up 4-2. Childers singled up the middle moments later to give State a 5-2 lead.
Joel Reeves stepped onto the mount for State in the top of the fifth and faced some problems, giving up two runs on Derek Dietrich's homer to left. The Panther got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame on Marc Mimeault's double to right center that scored Matt Van Horn.
Leading 6-4, State made another call to the bullpen and brought in Adam Knight. The righty gave up a pinch-hit single to Jeff Rowland that brought the visitors within one. A single up the middle from Brad Feltes brought in two more, putting Tech ahead 7-6. State reliever Bobby Bennett entered for Knight and recorded the final out of the inning on a groundout to first.
Bennett worked a quick seventh inning, but ran into problems in the eighth. The lefty recorded the first out of the frame on a fly ball, but gave up a double to Dietrich before being lifted. State brought in John Locklear, who walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. Locklear then hit pinch-hitter Patrick Long to load the bases. Tech scored its first run of the inning on a groundout while Thomas Nicholas delivered the fatal blow with a double to center field that plated two more runs.
State issues walks in seven innings with four of those free passes leading to Georgia Tech runs. In five of the innings, State allowed the leadoff man to reach base.
“We played well against a very good team tonight. Our bullpen kept us in the game, as he entered the seventh inning down one,” said assistant coach Brad Stromdahl. “The great equalizer tonight was walks though. We walked 10 batters while Tech walked four of our guys.”
State got offensive contributions up and down the lineup, snapping out of the doldrums. Childers helped pace the Panther attack, singling twice and scoring two runs. Mitch Rider went 3-for-4 in his first start at first base. Bradley Logan went 2-for-5 with a double and run scored. Mimeault finished the night 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored.
“Tonight's performance is a good lead into this important conference series,” noted Stromdahl. “We got rolling offensively and we did a good job of hitting against good pitching tonight.”
Georgia State hits the road this weekend to face Colonial Athletic Association foe George Mason. The series is scheduled to open Friday, March 14, at 6 p.m. with single games on Saturday and Sunday.
NOTES: State senior second baseman Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas missed his first game of the season ... Bobby Bennett made his 66th career appearance, moving within two appearances of tying Brock Radaker (1992-95) for the school record.
